Birds and native thorn forest at Quinta Mazatlan

In aboriginal November, I drove 5 hours southbound to the Rio Grande Valley, onshore of citrus orchards and skinny-trunked thenar trees. I was determination for the last photograph sprout for my upcoming publication connected Texas gardens (due retired successful 2025 with Timber Press). But I couldn’t permission without visiting Quinta Mazatlan again, located successful McAllen conscionable northbound of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Quinta Mazatlan is simply a city-owned quality halfway and World Birding Center connected the 15-acre grounds of a romanticist 1930s Spanish Revival-style mansion. Work has begun connected an enlargement of the grounds, and I learned that Austin’s ain Ten Eyck Landscape Architects is involved, truthful I americium definite the caller plan volition beryllium wonderful.

Before exploring the grounds, I stopped successful astatine the mansion, admiring its Spanish-style grandeur and the almost tropical landscaping of bananas, birds of paradise, and palms.

Cantera chromatic urns clasp agaves that look similar greenish flames.

Carved woody doors carnivore the faces of the archetypal owner’s family.

Fossilized ammunition imprints successful the chromatic are a reminder of an past seabed.

World Birding Center grounds

Time to research the grounds! An upright stone-turned-cactus planter greets visitors adjacent the entrance.

Feather-leaved sago palms enactment the path…

…and 1 of Quinta Mazatlan’s galore carnal sculptures, a roadrunner tending her nest successful a prickly pear bower, appears present too.

Along the drive, a rainbow-hued motorcycle sculpture stands retired against the greenery. I tried to find info online astir this artwork but nary luck.

Quinta Mazatlan describes its grounds arsenic a thorn forest, the preferred situation of galore taxon of birds.

In summation to agaves and a thicket of night-blooming cereus, I saw galore spiny and spiky plants, which connection extortion for tiny creatures. Other plants successful the thorn wood see the following:

“Granjeno, fiddlewood, kidneywood, and guayacan supply berries oregon seeds arsenic a meal. Native plants that supply nectar to the animals are the Turk’s cap, Scarlet sage, and Texas lantana. Prickly pear, tasajillo, and Night-blooming cereus, though they are cactus, supply nectar, food, and structure for galore animals.”

https://rgvisionmagazine.com/discover-the-thorn-forest/

Another vertebrate sculpture

And different — a weaver and its nest — adjacent an outdoor classroom

One more

Hollow histrion trunks are near lasting for habitat.

Woodpecker holes?

A gauntlet of painted sticks brightens 1 way — different enigma creation installation.

Other carnal sculptures see a tree-resting ocelot…

…a stalking upland lion…

…a horned lizard…

…and a Texas indigo snake. Funny story: I was listening for birds on an aged irrigation canal adjacent this sculpture erstwhile I heard a rustling of leaves beside me. I looked into the canal to spot what it was. A 5- oregon 6-foot magnitude of girthy achromatic snake was sliding into the canal’s culvert. Its caput was already successful the culvert, truthful its full magnitude whitethorn person been 6 oregon 7 feet. I find snakes intriguing alternatively than scary, but this 1 was truthful large — and truthful adjacent — that I stood motionless successful surprise. It disappeared. “Whoa,” I said.

A fewer steps further on the trail, I saw this sculpture, and — aha! — I knew that I’d conscionable encountered the existent thing. What a fortunate sighting!

Texas indigo snakes are bully guys. They dine connected rattlesnakes (impressive!), and they deficiency venom, truthful they’re bully to person around. Think of them arsenic the Rikki-Tikki-Tavi of South Texas.

Mansion and courtyard

Behind the Quinta Mazatlan mansion, a achromatic stucco partition encloses a ample courtyard. At 1 entrance, an tremendous unrecorded oak supports a scrolled-metal swing.

On the other side, different immense unrecorded oak extends its shadiness implicit a gravel patio.

Fire pit bowls and stump stools bespeak this country sees usage arsenic a casual gathering spot aft dark.

A covered terrace offers invited shade.

Bees were enjoying late-season flowers.

Quinta Mazatlan is simply a World Birding Center, and galore of the visitors that time were birders toting binoculars and megaphone-sized telephoto lenses. With lone a compartment telephone camera myself, I didn’t seizure immoderate vertebrate images worthy sharing, but I definite saw immoderate absorbing birds, including chicken-like chachalacas and a flock of gorgeous greenish jays.

Inside the courtyard, palms operation implicit curved ponds wherever a swimming excavation erstwhile was.

Agave successful bloom

Stepping into the house, I poked astir its main rooms, including this prima porch…

…with seashell fireplace.

Tile art…

…and tapestries adorn the walls.

I recovered an archetypal bath with a Roman tiled tub and carved chromatic spigot basin.

And astatine the entrance, a coating of a greenish jay — 1 of the beauteous birds successful the thorn wood that day.

Charming people creation successful a hallway

Folk Art Room

In fact, there’s an full country devoted to Mexican people art, portion of the backstage postulation of McAllen creator and collector Ann Maddox Moore.

Fourteen 100 pieces of rainbow-bright people creation are connected dazzling display.

Gift shop

In Quinta Mazatlan’s acquisition shop, I was blessed to spot my publication The Water-Saving Garden for sale!

Lunch successful the garden

Most enjoyable of all, I was treated to an al fresco luncheon by enforcement manager Colleen Hook, and had a fantastic speech with her and native-plant advocate, grower, and rancher Betty Perez. These 2 women are doing important conservation enactment successful the Rio Grande Valley by promoting autochthonal plants and encouraging radical to marque country for autochthonal wildlife situation successful their ain yards. I’m honored to cognize them!

To work astir my erstwhile sojourn to Quinta Mazatlan: Visit to Quinta Mazatlan, birding, and Planta Nativa Festival

And for much astir birding successful South Texas: Birding and beaches astatine South Padre Island

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